Home > News Story and Obituary ArchiveNews: FBI Announces Brodner October Surprise Tourposted June 15, 2004

June 15 -- Fantagraphics Books announced a special tour coinciding with the publication of Freedom Fries, Steve Brodner's book of inflammatory, painted editorial cartoons featuring the current George Bush presidency and members of his administration. "My book is a compendium of 30 years of the graphic angst and anger over US politics and world events by a guy who sometimes gets the chance to press the limits in US magazines," the artist told the Journal. Unlike tours held by companies from Avodah and Fantagraphics that take advantage of summer convention season and the resulting traveling schedule of cartoonists, this tour will be held in conjunction with the last few weeks of this year's American presidential campaign. The October tour should take place in various east coast cities, and will concentrate on bookstores.

Brodner plans a more elaborate presentation than a simple book signing. "I'm hoping to tour around with the book this fall, showing some selections from it and actually drawing in the store, either on a large pad, or electronically on a WACOM tablet. I'm hoping for the chance to personally visualize the things we've been feeling about politics over the last several years. And to promote the idea of graphic commentary in publications -- something in considerable decline lately -- and also connect with people who like this sort of thing. I'll be doing a tutorial on how to draw the candidates. I'll also respond to whatever's happening at the moment."

The release of Freedom Fries and corresponding tour marks the biggest of a series of related releases from the normally politically silent alt-comics house, the company that also publishes this magazine. Fantagraphics released a collection of Tim Kreider's The Pain in June, and will have released an anthology called The Bush Junta by the start of Brodner's tour.